Faluzure is by far the most insidious evil of all the draconic gods. He longs for a multiverse that is beyond death; inhabited solely by the undead, and ruled by him and various forms of undead dragons. He stalks the planes, feeding off the life energy of the wisest and the best to power himself and his magic. If there is one force that could unite the good and evil members of dragon-kind, it is the Night Dragon.

The most dangerous and terrifying of Io’s children is Faluzure (FAL-uh-zjer), the Night Dragon. He is a master of undeath and illusion who requires a constant feast of life energy to sustain his outward beauty and perfection. He is an ever-present menace, leeching lives and souls from world after world, forcing the empty husks of creatures he has drained to serve him in death. His evil is more subtle than that of Task and Tiamat, and his ultimate goal is not domination, but annihilation.

The Deathwyrm is a wretched, hateful entity whose goals lie in opposition to those of all of his brethren. He hates Bahamut, Tiamat, and Sardior equally, for despite their differences, they represent the idealized life of each of the three main branches of dragonkind. He hates even the destructive evil of Garyx, as within that evil is a desire to shape the living world, rather than bring death to everything. He takes cruel delight in twisting and annihilating those Tamara holds dear, simply to show her that death is stronger than life. It is for Chronepsis, however, that he reserves his greatest hatred, mirrored by an equal measure of fear. Where Faluzure desires a continued existence in undeath for all things, the Death Dragon represents the final end of all things, even the undead. It is with some irony, and no small mystery, that these two opposed deities manifest in the Realmspace crystal sphere as the single deity Null. Faluzure has devoted considerable attention in recent centuries to completely subsuming Chronepsis’s Guardian of the Lost aspect of Null, with little success.

The Night Dragon has few allies, even among powers of dark necromancy and undeath. He makes short-term strategic alliances with such beings frequently, but only so far as it achieves a particular goal. Oddly enough, he maintains much firmer alliances with non-draconic mortal necromancers, sharing magic with then and guiding them along paths that lead them towards the creation of undead legions. It is speculated by some sages that Faluzure was patron to the wizard Mellifleur before his ascension to the ranks of the divine, and may have been partially responsible for the ritual that enabled his transformation. There is also speculation that Faluzure, in his aspect of Null, shared the secrets of dracolichdom with the wizard Sammaster on Toril, who used that knowledge in the creation of the Cult of the Dragon. His oldest alliance was with the dragon deity Kalzareinad; the Night Dragons knowledge of death and necromancy and the Keeper of Dark Wonders’ vast magical creativity led to the creation of a vast repertoire of necromantic spells and magical items, which Faluzure subsequently disseminated amongst his followers and mortal wizards. The Deathwyrm bears a grudge against Kereska for absorbing his old ally, for he feels he should have been the one to take on Kalzareinad’s divine essence. His only other divine ally is Task, and the two have so far kept it a secret from the rest of the pantheon. This alliance was precipitated by Task, which the sole intention of using the Night Dragon’s power to injure Io, allowing the Wrester to usurp his position. Faluzure is entirely aware of Task’s plan, and intends to use the situation himself to slay Io and subsume his essence.

The Night Dragon plays a frequent role in dragon myths and legends as a universal force of destruction, threatening metallic, chromatic, and gem dragons alike; as such, he is one of the few threats that can truly unite the draconic races. In some stories, it is said that when he slays Io, all life in the multiverse will cease and all bodies will rise as the undead, and not even Chronepsis would be able to stop it at that point. On worlds that feature stories about great Dragons of the Depths that sleep at the world’s core and maintain all normal functioning of life and magic, it is said that Faluzure’s slow draining of these creatures leads to deserts, wastelands, and other harsh environments. It is even said that the empty, lifeless husks of worlds found in some crystal spheres are in fact places where Faluzure was previously successful. Some draconic mythologies describe Faluzure as a splinter of the second Shadow Void, the substrate of creation that Io created and allowed other deities and beings to use for their own creation, and as such is not a true child of the Nine-Fold Dragon. This splinter was left untouched and alone by the flurry of creation, becoming jealous of all the life being infused in the rest of the Shadow Void and hateful of those who ignored it. These emotions caused it to coalesce into a dark shadow of Io, destructive where the Concordant Dragon is creative. Most myths, however, describe him as a deliberate creation of Io, a threat designed to force dragons to work together with each other.

Faluzure is possibly the most active of the draconic deities, sending his avatars to the Prime Material Plane constantly to stalk and drain powerful, wise, or exceptional beings. He steals corpses to take back to his lair in Carceri in order to perform ghastly research and necromantic experiments. His realm is filled with the results of his experiments, and his juju zombie servants, who slay any creature who enters uninvited. He actively cultivates followers, slowly corrupting some and grooming those already corrupted to his nihilistic, destructive view. He is eager to learn new necromantic magics (by any means), and he disperses such magics judiciously to those he feels will use them frequently and effectively, including assisting in the creation of artifacts and items of power, such as the Talon of Final Destruction, an item of power crafted by the dracolich Infernis in the distant past of the Io’s Blood Isles.

Faluzure’s Avatar (Great Wyrm Shadow Dragon, Cleric 30, Shadow Mage 26, Necromancer 26)
Faluzure appears as a beautiful dragon with scales of black and midnight blue edged in silver, and small vestigial wings. While he is unable to fly, his sharp claws allow him to easily burrow through the earth. He has eyes of a baleful indigo, set in a sleek skull with long, curled horns. Faluzure uses spells from all schools and spheres; however, he only uses reversed spells from the healing, necromantic, and sun spheres.

Special Att/Def: Faluzure delights in combat, provided he believes he has overwhelming superiority to his opponents. His breath weapon, usable six times per day, is a cloud of inky darkness that fills an area 50 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 30 feet high. Any creatures caught within the cloud are drained of 1d10 energy levels; this loss is halved with a successful saving throw at a −5 penalty. Any creature reduced to 0 Hit Dice or levels immediately becomes a juju zombie under the Night Dragon’s control. In addition, creatures caught in the cloud also contract a disease if they fail a saving throw versus poison with the same −5 penalty; this disease is fatal in 2d4 hours unless cured by a priest or paladin of at least 12th level. In melee combat, his attacks cause fear and paralysis for 2d4 hours, unless a saving throw versus spell is made for each, with a −5 penalty. Should both saves be failed, the creature attacked goes insane, as described in the descent into madness spell.

Faluzure can animate dead at will, and every other round he can summon shadow in addition to any physical attacks he makes. He can cast mirror image, non-detection, and a double-strength continual shadow six times per day. Four times per day he can dimension door with twice the normal range, and twice per day he can shadow walk. He is able to hide in normal shadows with a 135% chance, and within magical shadows (such as those created by his continual shadow ability) he and any creature from the Demiplane of Shadows functions as if they are under an improved invisibility spell. He is able to control undead in any round that he has not used his breath weapon.

Faluzure’s aura of dragon fear extends to a radius of 200 yards. Creature up to 7 HD/levels who catch sight of him are automatically affected (as well as all noncarnivorous, nonaggressive creatures with fewer than 25 Hit Dice) and flee for 4d6 rounds. Trained war mounts of 4 HD or more, organized military units, and single creatures with more than 7 HD or levels do not automatically flee. Rather, they are entitled to a saving throw vs. petrification at a −7 penalty. If they fail this saving throw, they fight with a −2 penalty to attack and damage rolls. No one save another deity is automatically immune to his fear effect.

Faluzure is immune to all spells below 5th level. He is immune to all forms of poison, paralysis, petrification, death magic, energy draining, and mind-affecting and controlling spells and psionics. He is immune to cold and electrical attacks, as well as weapons of +2 bonus or lower.

Other Manifestations
Faluzure’s most common manifestation takes the form of a shadow cast by a monstrous dragon of indeterminate age or race. The shadow can appear even in the brightest light, and can be cast in such a way to snuff out magical light sources, canceling those of 3rd-level or less. Natural light sources are snuffed out if wholly encompassed by the shadow, and more powerful magical lights are dimmed significantly. Should the shadow fall on any creature, they are enervated for 1d4 levels or Hit Dice each round they remain in contact with the shadow. Creatures are allowed a saving throw versus death magic, with a −4 penalty, to avoid the effect. Any creature reduced to 0 levels or Hit Dice die and become juju zombies under the Night Dragon’s control. This shadowy manifestation can speak, and Faluzure typically uses it to directly communicate to his priests, although he has on occasion used it to issue warnings or threats to other dragons.

His only other known manifestation is as a draconic claw of varying size composed entirely of shadowstuff. This claw has the chilling touch of undeath, dealing 2d8 points of damage to living creatures and inflicting paralysis lasting 1d6 turns on those who fail a saving throw versus paralyzation. Creatures immune to magical cold suffer no damage, but are still subject to the paralyzation.

The Night Dragon is served primarily by juju zombies, shadows, slow shadows, spectres, wraiths, and undead dragons of all types, as well as abishai baatezu, aeserpents, bone weirds, darkness elementals, gloomwing serpents, negative energy elementals, negative fundamentals, nightmares, nightshades, ravens, shadelings, shadow asps, shadow cloakers, shadow fiends, shadow lurkers, shadow mastiff, spectral deaths, tenebrous worms and gloomwing moths, undead cloakers, vargouilles, wraithworms, and xeg-yi. He shows his favor through the discovery of black diamonds, black sapphires, black roses, and the mummified heads of creatures who died with a grimace of pain on their faces. He shows his displeasure through the sudden onset of intense chest pains that can affect even the undead, as well as the discovery of white lilies, blood-red rubies, and cremation urns.

All priest-dragons and specialty priests of Faluzure receive religion (draconic) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. They also have access to the proficiencies anatomy, necrology, netherworld knowledge, spirit lore, and venom handling, as described in the Complete Book of Necromancers.

Faluzure’s worship is kept secret throughout the multiverse, for he is a feared and reviled force amongst dragons. Only amongst shadow dragons and those undead dragons who retain their sentience is the Night Dragon’s worship open and public. His followers work to subvert dragon society, convincing dragons that their long lives aren’t long enough, and in undeath they can achieve immortality. They are subtle and manipulative in their dealings, slowly breaking down the normal mores other dragons have, as well as their aversion towards undeath. One of the few things that can consistently unite good and evil dragons is their disgust at the perversions perpetrated by followers of Faluzure.

Temples built in honor of the Night Dragon are subterranean structures cloaked in shadow. What lights exist are dim and spaced so as to accentuate shadowed regions. Bones and skulls are common decorations; the larger and more frightening, the better. The skulls of sphinxes, wyverns, behir, giants, couatl, dinosaurs, and other large and powerful creatures are displayed prominently, while the skulls of humanoids and smaller creatures often make up the basic underlying design of decorative features. The altar is always placed beneath, or made from, the skull of the most powerful dragon the temple’s priest has slain. Black marble, jet, and obsidian are favored building materials, with decorations often including amethyst.

On most worlds, dragons do not form organized priesthoods, as there are too few of them, and they are far too individualistic. Only worlds with very dense dragon populations or very structured dragon cultures will develop hierarchical priesthoods, and the form they take are likely to be unique to those worlds. Specialty priests of Faluzure are known as necrowyrms. Any dragon capable of becoming a priest may join his priesthood, although shadow dragons, shadowdrakes, dracoliches, and naturally evil dragons are most common. Faluzure’s priesthood is dominated by specialty priests (70%), with the remainder composed of dragon-priests (20%) and dragon-mages specialized in necromancy (10%). Evil and hateful half-dragon priests and necromancers occasionally turn to worship of the Night Dragon, but they are not considered true members of the clergy, are not allowed to become specialty priests, and sometimes slain by Faluzure’s draconic priests for their presumption. Some human and demihuman necromancers and shadow mages also turn to the Night Dragon for patronage in hopes of gaining his favor in the form of new magic.

Dogma: The only inevitable forces in the multiverse are death and decay. Incorporating death into one’s life allows a dragon to draw upon those forces and gain strength. The strength to withstand death for so long is a gift that allows dragons to serve Faluzure in bringing death to lesser races. Dragons who embrace death in life by drawing on energies from the Negative Energy Plane or the Demiplane of Shadows herald the day when life and death become one for all beings.

Day-to-Day Activities: The clergy of Faluzure spend their days much as other dragons do; however, they are typically preoccupied with necromantic investigations and research. Many have long term plans to turn themselves into dracoliches, and spend time continuing that research, while others are more interested in building up hordes of undead servants and troops in order to terrorize and slay members of the lesser races. A small minority are interested in transforming themselves into undead forms other than the dracolich, such as wraith, wight, or vampire dragons.

Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: Total solar eclipses mark Faluzure’s holy day. On these days, known as the Reaving, followers of the Night Dragon rampage through the land, wreaking havoc on the lesser races. It is said that the dragon who inflicts the most death and destruction is transformed into the Wyrm of Shadows (a unique undead form similar to both a shadow and a dracolich), who reigns as high priest of Faluzure until the next solar eclipse.

Major Centers of Worship: Far to the west of Io’s Blood Isles lie lands controlled mostly by humans. Here is where those dragons who rejected the conclave live, exiled from the draconic domains of the metallic, chromatic, and gem dragons. Free of the policing of the Council of Wyrms, the followers of Faluzure maintain a thriving, secretive cult focused on dominating the dragons and eventually creating an army to usurp control of Io’s Blood Isle’s. The cult is centered on a hidden subterranean temple, known as the Ossuary of Shadows, ruled by a great wyrm shadow dragon dracolich known as the Claws of the Reaver.

In the northern polar region of the world of Golot lies a temple of Faluzure, hidden deep beneath a glacier-covered mountain. Known as the Cavern of Cold Death, this temple represents the central authority of the Night Dragon’s worship on this dragon-dominated world. Believing the invasion of the Vodoni Empire would greatly benefit their following, the head of the priesthood, a great wyrm white dragon named Longfang the Deathless sought an alliance with Emperor Vulkaran. Unfortunately, the invasion did not go as they expected, resulting in far less death than they wanted. They would easily welcome any attempt at all-out war between the Vodoni and the dragons on Golot.

Deep beneath the southern Hellfurnaces on Oerth lays an ancient temple of Faluzure known as the Deathdrake Sepulchre. This temple is the lair of an ancient sapphire dragon dracolich, Vaurothnadles, who acts as the highest authority in Faluzure’s cult in the Flanaess. His current long-term goals involve building an army of undead humanoids and carving out a realm on the surface ruled by Faluzure’s followers; he was well on his way some decades ago, but one of his wraith dragons was encountered by the mature adult red dragon Osktharuragothot and destroyed. The red dragon then sought out the source of the undead, discovering and battling Vaurothnadles in his lair. While Osktharuragothot failed to defeat Vaurothnadles before dying, he did manage to destroy most of his undead servants and caused tremendous damage to the dracolich’s physical form, setting his plans back by many decades.

Affiliated Orders: None.

Priestly Vestments: The holy symbol used by Faluzure’s clergy is either the skull of a dragon or draconic creature (behir, wyvern, chimera’s dragon head, etc.) magically shrunk and preserved, or a large amethyst, black diamond, or black sapphire gemstone magically formed into the shape of a dragon skull. When used in casting or ceremonies, the eye sockets glow with a malevolent red light.

Necrowyrms may be any species of dragon, as well as any intelligent undead dragon, although most are shadow dragons and dracoliches.

Necrowyrms have access to the proficiencies anatomy, necrology, netherworld knowledge, spirit lore, and venom handling, as described in the Complete Book of Necromancers.

Necrowyrms are not allowed to multiclass.

Necrowyrms are immune to all death magic spells and spell-like effects (such as death spell, finger of death, etc.).

Necrowyrms can cast darkness (as the reverse of the 1st-level priest spell light) or ray of fatigue (as the 1st-level priest spell) once per day.

At the 2nd age category, necrowyrms can cast continual shadow (as the 3rd-level priest spell) or ray of enfeeblement (as the 2nd-level wizard spell) once per day.

At the 3rd age category, necrowyrms can cast animate dead (as the 3rd-level priest spell) once per week. This rises to once per day at the 6th age category.

At the 4th age category, can cast enervation (as the 4th-level wizard spell) once per week. This rises to once per day at the 6th age category, and twice per day at the 9th age category.

At the 5th age category, necrowyrms can cast summon shadow (as the 5th-level wizard spell) once per week. This rises to once per day at the 8th age category.

At the 6th age category, necrowyrms may begin a transition to an intelligent undead form. The necrowyrm need perform no actual research, but repeated sacrifices of the dragon’s hoard and lengthy rituals are required over a full decade. The necrowyrm can request to become a specific type of undead, but the ultimate decision is Faluzure’s. There is a 5% chance the process fails completely, and the necrowyrm becomes a ghost dragon with all their powers intact, but is completely insane.

At the 7th age category, necrowyrms can cast shadow magic of shadow dragon (as the 5th-level wizard spells) once per day.

At the 9th age category, necrowyrms can cast death spell or shades (as the 6th-level wizard spells) once per day.

At the 10th age category, necrowyrms can cast finger of death or shadow walk (as the 7th-level wizard spells) once per day.

At the 12th age category, necrowyrms can cast energy drain (as the 9th-level wizard spell) once per day. Any creatures drained completely rise as juju zombies under the necrowyrm’s control.

At the 12th age category, necrowyrms who have not made a transition to undeath can complete the process as above in half the time, and will always become a dracolich. There is only a 1% chance the process fails.

Faluzuran Spells
In addition to the spells listed below, priests of the Guardian of the Lost can cast the 2nd-level priest spell ecdysis and the 3rd-level priest spell dire chant, both detailed in Cult of the Dragon in the entry for Null, as well as the 3rd-level priest spell continual shadow and the 5th-level priest spell wall of shadow, both detailed in Powers and Pantheons in the entry for Eshowdow.

When this spell is cast, the dragon is surrounded in an aura of bone-chilling cold energy that extends away from the dragon to a distance equal to its fear aura. Creatures that enter the area must save vs. death magic or suffer a –4 penalty to AC, saving throws, and attack rolls due to the chilling effect. Even if a victim immediately leaves the area, or the spell expires, the penalties persist for an additional 2d4 rounds. Those who successfully save reduce the penalties to –2 and lessen the post-exposure effects to 1d4 additional rounds. These conditions are not cumulative, so a victim need make only one saving throw vs. a given aura of Faluzure—i.e., a victim is free to enter, leave, and re-enter the area of effect as often as desired without requiring additional saving throws. However, the effects are cumulative if the victim enters one aura of Faluzure, departs, and then enters a second aura of Faluzure before the effects of the first exposure have worn off.

This spell produces a negative-energy chilling effect, so immunity to standard cold attack forms (e.g., cone of cold, ice storm, Otiluke’s freezing sphere, etc.) provides no defense against it. Undead and other negative-energy creatures, as well as the casting dragon or another dragon with an active aura of Faluzure, are immune to the effects of the spell. The negative plane protection priest spell also provides protection against an aura of Faluzure.

Aura of Faluzure persists for the full duration unless removed by a limited wish or greater effect; dispel magic does not suffice.

The material component for this spell is the dragon’s holy symbol, which is not consumed by the spell.

This spell, unique to the clergy of Faluzure, allows a dragon to easily animate a draconic corpse as a zombie or skeleton. True dragons of any age category, as well as related creatures (such as behir, firedrakes, dracolisks, and chimeras), can be affected, provided the corpses are substantially intact and undamaged, although for the case of a dragon skeleton bones from similar creatures of the appropriate size can be used. Corpses of dragons of Venerable status or older are allowed a saving throw versus spell with a −4 penalty to avoid being animated.

Draconic skeletons and zombies obey the same restrictions as normal skeletons and zombies with regards to commands they are able to obey. They have the standard immunities and penalties as the appropriate type of undead, as well as any immunities they had in life. Skeletal and zombie dragons can never fly, even if their wings are intact, but other movement types are retained as normal, although rates are halved for draconic zombies. All physical attack forms that do not require flight are available to the undead forms, and damage dealt is the same as in life; similarly, THAC0 and Armor Class is as the living form. Neither form of undead can use the spell-like powers or breath weapons of the original forms, excepting those powers that are constantly on. Hit Dice for a skeletal dragon is as the living form as well, while zombie dragons gain an extra Hit Die. Each type of undead dragon is turned as if it had one fewer Hit Die.

The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol, a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of crumbled bone from a true dragon.

When this nefarious spell is cast, the dragon is surrounded by a layer of necromantic energy. This aura is completely invisible and cannot be detected by any means save for magic specifically designed to detect necromantic energies; a simple detect magic does not suffice.

While the spell lasts, any creature slain by the dragon via tooth and claw (or other body weapon, such as a tail or wing), rises as a juju zombie 24 hours later. These creatures are under the control of the dragon, and their loyalty cannot be swayed by any means, though they can be turned as usual. However, the number of zombie lords that can be animated via this spell cannot exceed the dragon’s hit dice. Additional undead simply do not rise. This assumes, of course, that the dragon doesn’t eat a slam victim prior to animation; consumed bodies are exempt from the effect.

Obviously, this spell is useless against the undead, but creatures without corporeal bodies, other-planar creatures that can be categorized as “immortal” (e.g., fiends, elementals, etc.), and creatures native (or strongly linked) to the Negative Energy plane are immune to the spell as well. Similarly, any creature with a natural or magically-induced immunity to necromantic magic, or one that simply cannot be raised as an undead creature, is not susceptible to this spell.

The material component for this spell is the dragon’s holy symbol. The symbol is not consumed by the spell.

This spell shrouds an undead dragon in the appearance of an exceptionally beautiful specimen of the dragon’s original, living form. For the duration of the spell, the dragon is indistinguishable from a mortal dragon, even under most magical scrutiny; touch, smell, sight and infravision, hearing, and all other senses indicate that the caster is a living, breathing, dragon. In addition, the physical beauty of the form lends the dragon a Charisma of 20, even if their Charisma is normally higher. Detect magic registers only minor alteration magic around the dragon, but detect illusion does not detect the spell as illusory, nor can dispel illusion affect it. In fact, no spells other than true seeing are known to be able to penetrate the cloak of Faluzure.

A living creature must be available during the casting of this spell, and the dragon must maintain contact with the creature for the entire time. At the conclusion, the creature is enervated for 1d4 Hit Dice or levels; this lasts for the duration of the spell. If this reduces the creature below 0 Hit Dice or levels, the creature falls into a coma for the duration. There is a 10% chance every time a creature is enervated that the drain is permanent, siphoned off by Faluzure himself.